The Jungle Crow also known as Corvus macrorhynchos, Indian Corby, Large-billed crow and the thick-billed crow. This is the bird I thought I'd focus on today. It is found all over Asia. Like most crows they are able to adapt to most any situation. There are three types of Jungle Crows: the Eastern Jungle Crow (Corvus levaillantii), the Indian Jungle Crow (Corvus culminatus) and the Eastern Large-billed Crow (Corvus japonensis).
All forms have a relatively long bill with the upper one quite thick and arched, making it look heavy and almost Raven-like. Generally, all forms have dark greyish plumage from the back of the head, neck, shoulders and lower body. Their wings, tail, face and throat are glossy black. The depth of the grey shading varies across its range to almost black in the Indian form.
These birds have long bills with a thick, arched upper bill. This makes them look a bit like the Raven. Most have a dark grayish color around their necks, heads, shoulders and lower bodies. Their wings, tail, face and throat are often glossy black.
The range of this species is extensive and stretches from the northeastern Asian seaboard to Afghanistan and eastern Iran in the west, and south to India down to the Malaysian peninsula in the southeast. The Philippines also have a regional form. It occurs in woodland, parks and gardens, cultivated regions with a least some trees, but is a bird of more open country in the south of its range where it is not in competition with the Raven and Carrion Crow of the north.1
They can and will eat just about anything, including trash, often leading to their reputation as being pests. They also regularly kill and eat domestic chickens, more so than any other species of Crow. This reinforces their "pest" status with farmers.
They like to nest way up high in a fork in trees and their nests are typically a platform of twigs or a cup of sticks lined with grass roots, wool, rags, vegetable fibers etc. There have even been nests made of wire. How resourceful are they?
To see videos of these birds click
here.